The Art of Bending Without Bending
by CitizenKano
Summary: Another legend arises alongside Avatar Korra, one perhaps even greater. With just his fists and feet, he will forever alter the way people fight. As a warrior, a philosopher, and an artist, the tale of Sai-Fon will be told for generations as Republic City's Breathless Dragon. Features a non-bending protagonist.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello dear reader, and welcome to my first official story! Its been a long time coming. I've been a reader for years now, but a serious lack of updates from my favorite authors drove me to do this. Besides, I've been meaning to release an Avatar story, and Korra just drove it over the edge. I was hoping to get this out before Season 2, but school made me keep pushing this back again and again. Well, that doesn't matter now, the premier was spectacular and gave me some ideas for the future. **

**So yes, as you might have guessed, this is an OC-centric story, I know there is a lack of Team focused stories (at least well-written) now, and that was what I wanted to do. But a single idea sort of overtook the whole thing into a new direction and I felt no choice but to guide it along. **

**IMPORTANT! My main character will be based off of the legendary Bruce Lee. Not his history, personality, or acting career, but his style (or lack thereof). I say this now because I may base or even quote his teaching in the story, and I don't want anybody thinking I'm passing all of his as my own. So every time I quote him all follow it up with an '*'. **

**I decided to write this after I heard some great words of wisdom from Lee about 'Being like water', which I thought fit perfectly with the Avatar universe. Now don't worry, I won't be just copying and pasting the man into Legend of Korra, rather I will use his philosophy as a base for my own creations. **

**Let's begin!**

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The sun was at its peak in the sky as it shone its life over Republic City. Truly the metropolis was a melting pot, just as its founder intended. The downtown area was a modern marvel, compiled of tall buildings that jutted out of the still lush land. The older ones made of wood and stone still sat proudly with the newer ones composed entirely of metal. Airships patrolled high in the sky, maintaining peace and order for the many denizens. The concrete streets were packed with automobiles and trollies, a reminder of man's technological achievement. People from all walks of life crowded the sidewalks, occasionally being broken up by vendors selling foods or accessories. Along with downtown, there existed many residential neighborhoods, each tailored to either low, middle, or high class citizens. Bays, harbors, and public stations were peppered in and around the city, bringing in trade and immigrants. There were also areas heavily industrialized sector tucked away at the cities south border, containing mostly factories and power plants. This was the core of a technical revolution that has since spread throughout the world. The cities restless myriad of activity was all connected by impressive steel bridges.

To the side was a separate island that held a monument; a tribute to the great man that founded the republic: Avatar Aang. The statue was poised with strength and conviction as it stood in traditional air monk garb and tightly held a staff, watching over the city.

But perhaps the furthest from the bustling city, in atmosphere at least, was the Republic City park. Only a small amount of fine stone for roads and bridges cut through the still vibrant beauty of the foliage. Instead of horns, alarms, and civilian ire, the air was barren with a comfortable silence, and a gentle breeze swept through the visitors of the park. Families were playing, couples were taking romantic walks, and in a large open field stood a large stage. The stage was populated by a group of workers, assembling and moving the props and back drops of what the average passerby would deem a play.

"Careful, Sai-Fon!" cried a young teenage girl, gazing upwards.

"C'mon, we don't have all day!" shouted an older boy next to her, much less concerned.

The young man known as Sai-Fon remained silent, focused on the task at hand. He had jet black hair cut into an almost bowl-style, but it was more unkempt than the common type. His attire was rather plain, a white Earth Kingdom style work shirt with a sash of the same color tied around his waist. He also wore black pants and shoes, both were faded, dirty, and worn out from years of hard labor. There were two noticeable bulges on the right pant leg, possibly concealing a weapon. The shirt was drenched in sweat, and Sai-Fon's sleeves were rolled up so he could work without restriction. He was on the tip of his toes atop a 30 foot ladder trying to hang a string of lamps from the top right corner of the stage. The ladder itself wasn't actually on the stage but was off to the side in order to make way for a large prop carriage.

"You've should have just waited for that earthbender." the girl down below reprimanded. Again, Sai-Fon was silent.

"_Just have to tie this knot and..._-Done!" Sai-Fon began to descend down the ladder but was halted by the older boy.

"Sai-Fon, wait! I think it's lopsided!" The older boy ran to the front to get a full view. Not satisfied with a simple gaze, he used his fingers to form a rectangle and squinted his brown eyes.

"Hmmm..."

"It looks fine to me, Hayao." the girl said, casting a worried glance at Sai-Fon.

"Watch out!" The three teenagers looked to the source of the voice and saw probably the least likely thing they could possibly see. It was young girl who was clearly from the water tribe judging by her skin tone and clothing. She was riding atop a giant polar bear/dog hybrid, with its tongue sloppily waving through the air and charging almost directly to the stage center. The boy and girl in front were quick to evade and dashed off the far right, while the others workers panicked and yelled at the two to stop. The water tribe girl did her best to steer the animal away from the stage, and the dog/bear was able to completely avoid it, but ran nearly headfirst into the ladder Sai-Fon was on. In comparison to the animal's size and speed, the ladder snapped like a cluster of twigs and knocked Sai-Fon off his feet and sent him plummeting to the ground.

"SAI!" the two cried. All Sai-Fon saw was the hard ground that he was quickly reaching. There was no point in trying to grab onto the stage as the side he was on was completely flat. In attempt to minimize damage, Sai-Fon relaxed his body and allowed himself to spin until his feet would hit the ground first. He was able to bend his knees before impact, and as he landed he fell and rolled to his right side, preventing major damage. He rose to his feet rather fast and dusted himself off, surprisingly not too shaken up by the ordeal.

The boy and girl ran up to Sai-Fon with fearful expressions. "Sai-Fon, are you alright? Is anything broken?" The girl questioned with an almost motherly concern. She had chocolate brown eyes, fair skin and chestnut brown hair with chin-length strands, framing her face. She wore a long sleeved red blouse with a high collar and orange fastener and edges with brown slacks. She was about average height for a girl her age, but she was dwarfed by Sai-Fon by an entire foot. Even the other boy was short by comparison, and he was at least a head taller than her.

"No, I'm fine. Who and what was that?" Sai asked as he rotated his shoulder cuffs.

"I have no idea." The boy called Hayao replied. He had short auburn hair, and was dressed in a simple navy blue cotton shirt and matching pants with black shoes.

"Sai-Fon, I think you should go to the hospital."

"Relax, Risa, I'm alright." Risa didn't seemed phased by the comment, and Hayao tried to compromise.

"Well, that was still a pretty high fall. At least head home, we only have..." Hayao pulled out his small pocket watch. "Fifteen minuets until our shifts are over. Me and Risa will take it from here."

"Alright, then." Sai-Fon finally caved in and left the park to go to the apartment the three shared.

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Sai-Fon walked down the streets of the familiar Republic city, not really bothering to pay attention to the people scurrying into the shops or the owners switching their 'Open' signs to 'Closed'. His mind was still focused on the incident that sent him here. He felt a tinge of embarrassment. He had a high view of the whole thing and should have at least tried to get off the ladder, but he was just too stunned by the girl and dog...bear.. barreling down a place as peaceful as the park. Maybe she was new...

"Oof!"

Just his luck, Sai-Fon bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" Sai-Fon ignored the rude comment and gave a brief bow before he muttered a curt apology. He tried to continue on his way until his arm was roughly grabbed by the man. "Don't walk away from me." he threatened.

So that's how it's going to be?

"I said I was sorry." Sai-Fon looked back at the man. Despite his aggression, the young man did his best to remain calm and polite.

"That ain't good enough. Do you know who I am?" It was then that Sai-Fon got a good look at the man and his little entourage. The man he bumped into wore a white shirt and gold chain underneath a light purple coat as well as white pants and brown boots. Two others flanked him, one had on a neck chain with a green shirt and beige slacks. The other had a pencil thin mustache and wore black shirt, red scarf and gray slacks. With their tacky dress and confrontational demeanor, Sai-Fon immediately identified them as triad members

Sai-Fon mentally slapped himself. The walk from the park to the apartment cut straight through Triple Threat territory. But this was the first time he ran into them in years.

"_Maybe I shouldn't have left early." _Sai-Fon thought. Some members are know to schedule their racketing. "You are members of the Triple Threat Triads, are you not?"

"Yeah, that's right. And you see..." He grasped his shoulder with his other arm. "You damaged by shoulder when you ran into me. I'm gonna have to go see a doctor to get it fixed. I'd imagine it might cost...500 yuan." Sai-Fon grew up with the Triple Threat, and he knew a shakedown when he heard it.

"It was an accident, and I apologized." Sai-Fon did his best to defuse the situation. "I don't want any trouble." All the purple coat wearing triad did was reach into his coat pocket, and that was when Sai-Fon flipped the switch from peaceful to aggressive. Not wanting to know what was in his pocket, Sai-Fon acted fast and used his free arm to deliver a quick but powerful punch to the man's solar plexus. The triad member felt like someone rammed a sledgehammer in his body and released him as he doubled over in agony. With a warrior-like shout, Sai-Fon backhanded the man in his temple so hard it violently bent his neck and sent him headfirst into the sidewalk. The other two were shocked at their leaders quick defeat, but the green shirt triad recovered quickly. Sai-Fon got into a unique fighting stance as the triad leaped back and stomped the ground to lift a piece of earth. Before he could launch it though, Sai-Fon ran up and kicked the rock back at his chest with enough force to knock the wind out of him. He followed his counter up with a powerful sidekick that made the triad member fly backwards and collide with a metal post that bent harshly on impact. The firebender, stunned even more by his quick movements, hastily lighted up his hands for an attack. Sai-Fon saw this and reached into his pocket to pull out his own weapon: nunchaku. The firebender was only able to cock his fist back before the earth around him shot up like a piston and sent him high into the air.

Now absolutely terrified, all the firebender could do was scream and frantically thrash around in the air as gravity did its cruel duty.

Not even thinking about wear the attack came from, Sai-Fon pulled out his nunchaku and jumped onto the still raised earth. Waiting until he was within range, Sai-Fon swung his weapon into the man, angling the strike to he wouldn't crash into the nearby shop but instead the other side of the street, kicking up dust as he landed. The firebender tried rise but finally collapsed in defeat. Sai-Fon stepped off the elevated ground and put the nunchaku back in his pocket.

"Hey, not bad." came in impressed feminine voice. He turned and saw a girl around his age walk towards him. "You didn't even have to bend." She looked vaguely familiar, but he knew exactly who she was when he saw the animal behind her.

"You're the one who nearly destroyed the stage." He pointed and accused in a low but firm voice. The girl frowned and put her hands on her hips.

"You're welcome," was her sarcastic reply.

"I didn't need any help." He glanced back at the raised earth. "What you did was unnecessary." She folded her arms.

"Oh, yeah? That guy was about to burn you to a crisp, and all you did was pull out two sticks." Speaking of the two sticks, Sai-Fon, without even taking his eyes off her, used them to knock away an incoming water strike from his right. The water deflected off the weapon and hit the concrete to his right, noticeably chipping it. The girl was amazed at the perceptive display. The two turned to see the purple coat wearing (and now heavily bruised) triad member with his arm still extended. Needless to say, he was quickly sent back down with a swift running jump kick to the face, audibly breaking his nose.

Sai-Fon crouched down and saw by some miracle he was still conscious. Bruised and bloodied, but conscious. He grabbed him by his throat, and raised the man up above him. The triad tried to escape his grasp but he was too beaten to put up much of a struggle.

"You're lucky I don't turn you into the police." He let go, spun him around and kicked him away. "Take your friends and leave. And don't ever let me catch you hear again." The green clothed triad brought around their car during the conversation and drove next to the boss, who opened the door and gave one last empty threat.

"This isn't over. This is still Triple Threat territory. We'll find you!" And with that, they started to drive off with barely enough time to allow the firebender to get on.

"What are you doing?!You can't let them get away!" Before he could retort, the water tribeswoman used earthbending to crack open the street and punctured the car's tires, sending it and its passengers into a nearby tea shop window.

"What the hell was that?!" Sai-Fon cried not in amazement, but anger; and the girl was quick to see that.

"They tried to assault you! They can't just walk away!" Sai-Fon didn't respond and instead sprinted to the accident. He vaulted over the broken window and ran into the shop.

"Is everyone alright?!" He inquired. Fortunately, the tea shop was relatively empty, only populated by a petrified owner and waiter hiding underneath an undamaged table. The automobile was heavily damaged, and the engine was emitting smoke. The triads all fell out of the now smashed door and into a pile. Sai-Fon exited the store to continue his berating.

"You could have killed someone!" He accused.

The girl opened her mouth for a defense but couldn't answer as a Metalbending Police Force airship arrived on the scene. They bent their necks skyward and heard the deafening police alarm and saw the force's standard cables attach themselves to the sides of several buildings. With speed and grace, three officers descended onto the scene.

Two of the officers rounded up and arrested the triad group. "You're under arrest." proclaimed the third, most likely the captain. The alleged captain approached the two and pointed at the water tribe girl.

"You're under arrest, too." her reaction was like he had just slapped her and tried to explain herself.

"W-Wait, you don't understand! They were roughing up this guy and then tried to escape." She gestured towards Sai-Fon but the officer ignored her.

"Looks like you did more damage then they did." The statement was sadly true. Within a few minutes she had cost thousands of yuan in damages along the street. Shopkeepers and pedestrians were still cowering inside the buildings, fearful of a new threat. The officer then pointed at Sai-Fon.

"You acted in self-defense, you're free to go." Sai-Fon bowed his head in confirmation and started to walk away. The officer then tried to ensnare the young woman with his metal cables but she dodged and caught them.

"I'm not a criminal, I was just trying to save that guy." She defended, struggling against the officer's strength.

"Oh really? Hey!" Sai-Fon turned around. "Were you in any danger?" He shook his head. 

"They were low level triads. I was fine." he replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Alright, you can explain yourself down at Headquarters." The officer was quickly losing his patience.

"Naga!" As a last resort the young woman called out to her companion for an escape. The giant animal reacted immediately and slammed into the officer to releas his hold before rushing the other two. The girl tried to run towards Naga but was halted when Sai-Fon stepped in front of her.

"_But he was behind me!_" The girl shouted in her head.

"Evading arrest from the police would not be wise." Getting desperate, the girl launched a stream of water from her pouch to stun him. All Sai-Fon did was lean his head back to dodge and countered by stepping under her reach and delivered a few light but nearly unseen strikes to her midsection and legs. She collapsed to the ground and tried to get back up but found herself unable to move any part of her lower body.

"W-What did you do to me?" She questioned through gritted teeth, shocked and upset by an attack she clearly never encountered before. She struggled to regain feeling in her legs, but to no avail.

"You should get your feeling back in your jail cell." Sai-Fon replied neutrally. Naga roared a ground shaking roar and attempted to charge Sai-Fon until the metalbending police bound him in their cables. The giant animal thrashed and roared some more but was brought down when the officer's tightened their cables and sent more to wrap around the animal's mouth.

The captain finally bound the girl and threw her over his shoulder against her protests.

"You're stronger than you look, kid. Are you a chi-blocker?"

"Somewhat," Sai replied cryptically.

"You know we could always use more of those, ever thought about joining the force?"

"I've considered it, but I don't enjoy fighting."

"Well, if you're ever interested, head down to headquarters and speak with the front office. Tell them Saikhan recommended you." Sai-Fon nodded and continued his trek through the city.

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Sai-Fon stepped into the apartment he shared with his close friends. He removed his shoes and placed them by the door. The apartment was fairly spacious compared to what he had previously lived in, but it was still small by most people's standards. It had a few windows, a wooden floor and eggshell white walls with a ceiling light above. There was enough space in the living room for a leather couch he pulled out to sleep in, and a small coffee table, atop which was a tiny radio for entertainment. To his right there was a small kitchen and dining table with three chairs. To the back was a personal clothes drawer below a wall clock. There were two bedrooms, one for Risa, and one for Hayao. He plopped down on the couch and rubbed his face while giving an exasperated sigh. Today had been more eventful than expected. He nearly broke his neck once a girl on some kind of polar bear smashed the ladder that was property of Shoho, the play production company he, Hayao, and Risa worked for. No doubt it would come out of his paycheck. Then he tried to get mugged by triads until the girl from before used earthbending to smash up 31st street in attempt to stop them. Funny...by her appearance he guessed she from one of the water tribes.

Wait...she _did _use waterbending to try and stun him...

Was she?...Did he?...

Sai-Fon decided to just shut his eyes and drift off to sleep. He was too exhausted to further comprehend anything else..

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_Knock Knock Knock_

Sai-Fon opened his eyes and turned his head to the door

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

He rose to his feet, realizing he neither changed out of his clothes, nor pulled out the couch. He approached the door, opened it, and saw a man with his arm extended like he was going to knock once more. He was sharply dressed in a charcoal colored top hat, white dress shirt, light green vest, black overcoat with matching slacks, and brown loafers.

"Oh, good! You're awake." The man straightened up and put his hands on the edges of his coat. "My name is Butakha, I'm the current owner of the Pro-bending arena and league director. May I have a word with you?"

"Sure," Sai-Fon decided against letting him in and shut the door behind him.

"If you lived in Republic City for more than a day, you've no doubt seen a match or two?" Lee nodded. "Well you see, the arena is very extravagant, but I'm afraid attendance is lowering. Not by a lot, but hey, I need to keep up with costs. I need a real special event to draw in newcomers"

"Why did you want to see me?"

"Well, one of my scouts caught your little fight yesterday. Quite impressive for a non-bender. Taking down three triad benders and paralyzing a psychotic criminal earthbender is no small feat."

"You haven't answered my question." All the man did was smirk.

"Straight to the point, are we? I like that. Very well then, I'm inviting you to compete in tomorrow night's event. You against one of my teams, what do you say?"

"I can't bend. Wouldn't someone like me conflict with the rules?"

"Ah, don't you worry about that. I'm the league director, I can pull some strings and alter the rules, just one time."

"I have to work tomorrow." Butakha waved him off.

"No problem. I spoke with Mr. Chan and he'd be willing to give you the whole day off."

"Hmmm..."

"I can see you're still on the fence. So how about I give you this..." He pulled out a respectable stack of yuan that made his eyes widen. "I'll give you 1,000 yuan just for participating. Win, and I'll give you even more."

"_That's more than I'll make in two months." _He mused.

"And you know, if you can defeat three benders I'd imagine you'd become pretty popular. The fans might want to see you more. And I'd be willing to pay you."

Sai-Fon thought about the offer. The pay for fighting was far greater than his meager wage as a stagehand. He honestly didn't care about what he could buy for himself, rather he thought about his best friend, Hayao. The guy was a visionary, and for years now, he talked about establishing his own production company. The reason the three got jobs at Shoho in the first place was because of their mutual love of theater. Hayao wanted to direct, Risa wanted to write, and he wanted to act. He recalled all the plays he had seen as boy. How dramatic the actors made the fictitious and often silly stories. The wonder it created that helped him escape from his life for just a few hours. Mr. Chan, their boss, was a tyrant. He inherited the semi-popular Shoho company from his father. It was well known within the Fire Nation for nearly a hundred years, making truly classic plays. But that was just it. Shoho only made plays. That would have been fine decades ago, but their was a new medium to tell stories on the horizon: film. It was growing art form originating right here in Republic City. Existing only a few short years. Sai-Fon saw the possibilities of it. From his first viewing of "The Great Robbery", the gears in his head work and thought about all the wonders that could be achieved through it. He knew it. He just knew what he had in mind, he could do. But all that had been a dream, an idea. Everything they needed cost money they didn't have. The three couldn't afford anything other than the necessities right now, and they couldn't get any higher paying jobs either, due to their lack of bending and formal education. It was just so far away right now, but could they really do it? Could they really make their short life long dream a reality if he just fought a few benders? He had to try, for Hayao and Risa.

"I accept."

"Good, I knew you would." the league director pulled out a pamphlet. "I've written down what I'd think would be a fair rule system for both you and your opponents. I might make some small changes later, but I think this is the gist of it. See you tomorrow." Sai-Fon grabbed the pamphlet and stepped back into the apartment. He stared at the door, and then the pamphlet. He was still unsure about the decision. It was then he realized he was still fully clothed in his work outfit. He went to a small drawer at the back wall and pulled out a simple shirt and pair of pants.

"_Tomorrow, huh? What time is it?"_ he glanced at the clock. _"5:00 am? Now's a good time to go train." _With that thought, Sai-Fon changed and headed out the door.

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**This first chapter probably raised a TON of questions, but don't worry. I just didn't want exposition clogging up the story, I hate it when other authors do that. So save your criticisms about this not making sense for later, I'll do my best to answer them through the story. **

**Make sure to review and share your thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! First I like to thank marlilsis, Tenshi no Yami Honoo, STRIKER EUREKA, Kirawani, and Matthew 42 for choosing to favorite my story, and marlilsis, Tenshi no Yami Honoo, and Blckwlf4 for following it. I really appreciate you all taking the time to read my first chapter, especially since I'm coming to realize the first chapter isn't as good as I thought. It does seem a bit rushed and fast paced, I guess I just wanted to publish it by the end of the day. So I hope to fix that with this next chapter. Now I hope you and everyone else who reads this enjoy this next chapter. Don't forget to share your thoughts either through a personal message or review, though I do prefer a review simply because I don't always have the time to check my actual account and just look for responses on my phone.**

**If Sai-Fon has come off as rather boring to you, this chapter will hopefully give him more character. But remember, he's not Korra, Mako, or Bolin. **

**Also, to keep things in context:**

**Earth Kingdom = Chinese **

**Fire Nation = Japanese**

**Air Nomad = Hindu**

**Water Tribe = Inuit/Eskimo**

**You may have noticed I used some of these terms in the last chapter. While using Chinese, Japanese, Hindu, and Inuit would be accurate to describe the culture, it would not be in canon. So here's a little chart to show you what I mean when someone is in "Earth Kingdom garb" or eats "Fire Nation food", so if I don't go into detail, you'll at least have a general idea. I know this may come off as unnecessary for some, but a friend of mine mentioned the confusion when I wrote "Earth Kingdom work shirt" in my first chapter. He may not have an account, but he's a pretty good guy to bounce around ideas with.**

" "**-**Speech

**' '-**Thought

_Onomatopoeia_

**Emphasis**

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It was peaceful atop the roof of the apartment. He greatly enjoyed peace and the comfortable silence that came with it. The sun was only barely starting to rise over the clouded sky, giving a dark pink shade that mixed with the gray morning clouds.

A whole day had passed since Butakha made the offer to fight his pro-benders. He had told Risa and Hayao about the deal, and while Hayao was as enthusiastic as usual, Risa was clearly worried. She always worried about him and Hayao. Sai-Fon did weigh the pros and cons with her, but she still wasn't completely convinced, and he made a note to himself to try one more time before leaving.

Sai-Fon was now in the center of the roof space, dressed in looser, nearly identical attire from before, minus the sash. There wasn't much on the roof other than two old barbells and a large slab of concrete. He closed his eyes and filled his lungs with the cool air. He held it in for a few seconds, then released it. He performed a few simple (to him at least) stretches that warmed up all his muscles. He got into his stance, placing his feet shoulder width apart and put the left foot one step forward. He then angled his left foot slightly inward and slid his right foot into the same direction. He bent his knees slightly and put his right hand against his chin before moving the left out at around the same level. Finally, he lowered his head slightly and raised his left shoulder to a point where it and the chin met halfway.

Such as stance was completely foreign to the vast majority of fighters in the world. That's because it was stance Sai-Fon created for himself. He may have spent the early years of his life in an orphanage, but once he reached a certain age he had to get a job, and with his lack of education and bending, pickings were slim. Cheap manual labor was all he could really do, but he was lucky enough to work for a company that made something he cared about. But still, he frequently found himself on the streets. Whether it was punk non-benders, ex-pro benders, or even bending triads, Sai-Fon had to defend himself and his friends from people much older, bigger, stronger, and more experienced. The years of fighting and his own training also affected his body, for better and for worse. Faded burns and cuts still littered his entire body from his neck to his feet, and bones had been fractured; a lot. He'd had spend many times in the hospital and thanked all the known spirits that Master Katara pushed for free health care as long as you were operated on by medical students, or else he'd have been in debt for the rest of his life.

But it wasn't a complete waste. All those years conditioned him into a tough, observant, and effective fighter. He felt his skin and bones harden with each battle. His speed, agility, and reflexes were bar none in the whole city. He actually hadn't been injured a while, because he learned not to get hit; period. He could even see the tell-tale signs of an attack thrown by any bender or non-bender. He saw everything had a reaction, a pattern. He knew when someone was going to strike, where he was aiming, what he needed to do, and when he needed to do it. He saw that many fighters use their eyes, shoulders, and feet to telegraph attacks, whether they mean to or not. Sai-Fon was now able to figure out what a fighter did and then pick apart the move until a solution was obvious.

Of course, the fact that he's fought all his life had created not a love for it, nor a resentment for it, rather a desire to avoid it. Confrontation has been the theme of his life, and at the tender age of seventeen he was beginning to grow tired of such a bull-headed way.

But now wasn't the time to ponder his whole life; Sai-Fon needed to practice. He began with a few bare handed exercises before moving onto the barbells for thirty minutes, then approaching the concrete slab. While the average person would slice or break their hand after just a few strong punches, Sai-Fon was able to use the concrete as a legitimate punching bag. The strikes he threw not only didn't damage him but instead chipped away and cracked the slab. His fists and feet were blurs, far greater in speed than the attacks he used on the triads the previous day. All of his movements were unpredictable. He was able to see the signs of others' attacks, and was starting to remove his own. The expression Sai-Fon held during his training was focused and solemn, only occasionally broken by a shout to reinforce his power behind an attack.

"Um, Sai-Fon?" Sai-Fon delivered one last straight before resting. He turned around to see Risa with a cup of tea in her hands. "I brought you some tea." He walked up to her and graciously accepted the drink.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"The league director is offering me 1,000 just for participating, Risa. I have to try."

"I thought you didn't like fighting."

"I don't, but if this works out and Butakha has me fight on a regular basis, I can make enough for us to move to a better part of the city and have some left over to fund our own production company, just like we talked about." Sai-Fon saw she still wasn't convinced and gently put his hand on her shoulder, not noticing the blush that resulted in the gesture.

"Risa, I think this could work. I really do. We've been slaving for years for Shoho and we have gotten any raises or recognition. I just want to try this. An opportunity like this isn't common, and I'm doing this for all of us." In that moment, Risa's face went through several changes; from worried, to thoughtful, to finally accepting.

"Okay, I wish you the best of luck." She replied with a warm smile.

"You've seen me fight, Risa. I don't need it."

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His mind was empty, not a single thought entered his mind nor did a sound leave his body other than the slow inhale and exhale of breath. His now acute senses took in all of Republic City. His ears absorbed the car horns, chirping birds, and gentle wind. His nose detected everything from the industrial factory smoke, to freshly baked bread, and to the salty sea of his home.

After another half hour of isometrics, Sai-Fon chose to spend an hour meditating. His physical training was through, now he was on to his spiritual training. He sat in the center of the rooftop in the lotus position with his hands clasped together, as is the traditional monk meditation position.

This was perhaps the first time he has ever had the luxury of preparing for a fight. True, he was unaware of his opponents' ability, but that was always the case with fighting. Normally, he would just be walking down the street and some gang member would try to shove a fire dagger through his back.

He inhaled the surprisingly fresh air, held it in for a few moments, and then exhaled. The tea Risa had made did wonders for his nerves. While he was still confident in his ability, Sai-Fon still had this uneasy feeling that gnawed away at his stomach that something terrible was going to happen soon. But with the help of the tea and the meditation, he was starting to quell the feeling inside of him.

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Once again, Sai-Fon found himself on the familiar sidewalk of Republic City, this time with a destination in mind. Sai-Fon was dressed in garb similar to what he had on the previous day, only his pants were black. In the distance, he could see the golden dome of the area he was going to fight in tomorrow. The pro-bending arena wasn't too far from the apartment in the upper Dragon Flats, actually. Only a few blocks separated him from a road that took him straight to the tacky monstrosity. It was strange that wealth and poverty were so close together. Only in Republic City, he presumed.

He was brought out of his musings when a small child brushed beside him. That wouldn't have bothered him at all, but only if his pocket didn't feel considerably lighter. Sai-Fon quickly turned on his heel and grabbed the closest thing to his body, which was a single blonde braid belonging to what he discovered was a little girl.

The little girl whimpered and stopped to turn around and face him. Sai-Fon held out his hand.

"Hand it over."

Not even able to look him the eyes, the girl handed him the small pouch of coin he spent all of last week earning. She tried to turn back around but Sai-Fon grabbed her shoulder.

"Don't go just yet," he said and then asked. "How old are you?"

"Nine and a half." she replied meekly, eyes still aimed towards the ground.

"What's your name?"

"Mei," It was then Sai-Fon took note of how poor her clothing was. It was just dirty rags loosely stitched together.

"Why are you stealing?" He inquired, though he felt like he knew the answer.

"Umm..."

"Mei, please tell me." Sai-Fon got down on one knee to reach eye level with her. His tone went from firm to soothing, and it greatly helped the little girl.

"Well, Mr. Yang says I need to get him 50 yuan or I don't get to eat." she answered quickly. Sai-Fon did his best to control his anger for the little girl's sake, but the fire inside him could melt the Northern water tribe. Flashbacks of his younger years entered his mind. He breathed in briefly and continued.

"Is that so?" She nodded as her eyes finally met his own. "Well let's go pay this Mr. Yang a visit."

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Mei led Sai-Fon into an alley behind a sleazy love hotel in the downtown area of the city. It was empty aside from four children and three men.

"Alright kiddies, let's see what ya' got," Said a short, thin man around his mid forties with a face reminiscent of a weasel. He had a brown scraggly beard and a receding hairline. He was flanked by two younger and much larger men, all three wearing elegant silk changshans, a blue one for the weasel man, and matching blacks for the flanking men. The weasel man ordered the five children to stand in a line and hand over their earnings. The kids were all around Mei's age, some boys and some girls, but all dirty. Their clothing was pitiful in comparison to the adults, nothing but rags and cut up burlap sacks tied together with rope. "Let's see..." The weasel man grabbed all of the childrens' money and totaled the stacks one by one. "60, 80, 85, wha-30?!" He stopped when he saw the low amount given to him by a boy younger then all of them, no older than six. "You trying to rip me off?!" He roughly gripped the boys ear and pulled him closer.

"N-No, sir!" The boy was terrified and cowered at the man before him.

"You little shit!" He brought his hand up to smack the boy. He fortunately was unable to do so as he found him self in a grip stronger than his. The middle-aged man turned his head and saw Sai-Fon with a none-too-pleased expression."Who the fuck are you?" He sneered at the young man. He tried to break free of the martial artist's grasp but couldn't budge. In response, Sai-Fon tightened his grip to a point that it felt like his hand was caught in a mangler. The weasel-looking man's face contorted in horrible pain as he heard his bones sickeningly snap and he quickly surrendered. "Ah, AH! Okay, okay! I'm sorry!"

Sai-Fon didn't bother asking questions this time; he know full well what kind of person this Mr. Yang was. He drove his fist straight into the man's ribs, forcing his body to curl around the arm harder than a steel pole. The man bent his neck to the heavens and screamed at the top of his lungs as he felt something inside him crack. Sai-Fon released him and let the pathetic criminal collapse on the cold concrete.

No sooner did he let go, the other two men were on him. Both of them were firebenders and they launched stream after stream at Sai-Fon. Obviously familiar with this kind of fight, the bowl cut fighter effortlessly dodged the attacks through sidesteps, ducks, and flips, but he knew the fight had to end quickly or the whole block could go up in flames.

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The children were smart enough to run away from the fight. While the four nameless kids simply took off to put as much distance between them and their abusers as possible, Mei stayed inside the alley. Partly because she was too scared to walk the streets alone, but mostly because she was in awe of her rescuers' fighting prowess. Here he was, dodging fire like it was a harmless nuisance. She saw his face and it showed no signs of fear, only determination.

Mei was silent through the whole ordeal, and her only thought was how lucky she was that she decided to pickpocket him.

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Sai-Fon waited until the benders separated enough to pick them off and found the perfect opportunity when one of them stepped in front of the other to try and sucker punch him. Acting fast, Sai-Fon grabbed the man's arm and pulled him forward. Not expecting the move, the man lost his balance and stumbled past Sai-Fon. He felt the back of his neck get lightly tapped as he attempted to recover. But the next thing he knew, he was on the ground, numb and unable to move.

Sai-Fon wasted no time in giving the other bender a chance to react. He delivered a powerful sidekick that knocked the bender off his feet and into the brick wall of the love hotel. He bounced off the wall and landed on his face, just before Sai-Fon's feet.

While the bender was still conscious, Sai-Fon took the spider web cracks he formed in the wall and his painful moans as signs of defeat.

Sai-Fon finally relaxed but sensed someone behind him. He tensed up but didn't panic when he felt only his right leg being clenched. He looked down and saw Mei holding onto him for dear life, sobbing and saying "thank you" over and over again. Sai-Fon quickly got on his knees and embraced Mei fully.

"Shhhhh...everything is going to be alright now, Mei. They won't hurt you ever again." Sai-Fon knew men like them before, and he was all too aware of what people here are capable. He didn't want to think about all the things that could the children could have endured. Mei finally broke down and cried into Sai-Fon shirt, still saying "thank you" repeatedly. After a good solid minute of being in that position, Mei calmed down and let go. 

"W-W-What now?"she stuttered as she wiped her pale blue eyes

"Now I'm going to get the police and find somewhere safe for you stay."

"NO!" She screamed. "I don't want you to leave me!"

"I'm not leaving, Mei, I swear." Sai-Fon needed to get Mei someplace safe, but it was then he remembered why he even left his apartment. 'Shit! I still have to fight!' he thought and saw the sun had already set. While he needed to attend to this situation at hand, he also couldn't blow the chance to make it out of the Dragon Flats. He knew it wasn't in Mei's best interest, he knew he should just take Mei to the police headquarters, and he knew he was being selfish by doing what he was about do, but Sai-Fon decided to act of character and put himself first. "Look, I'll take you to the same place I'm going. I'll talk to some people and they can get you some clothes and food. We have to move fast though, those guys might have some friends." Mei nodded again and stayed close to Sai-Fon as they sprinted to the arena.

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"This is so stupid." A young man in red pro-bending gear said with great frustration.

"But it is easy." Another replied in identical attire.

"I can't believe that fat ass is making us fight one guy. **One!**And he can't even bend!"

"Calm down, Mako. It's not every day Butakha gives us a chance to get ourselves back into the qualifiers after losing."

"We wouldn't be in this mess if **you**didn't jump off the field and cost us the game!"

"I didn't just jump, Mako! That disk was headed right for my throat! What, should I have just taken one for the team and let it crush my windpipe?! Besides we are up against the Yellow Pika Mice, we were going to lose anyway." That supposed defense only further angered Mako.

"You know I'm getting real sick of your attitude, Hasook! It's that kind of crap that make us lose!" Now Hasook

"Hey, easy guys, easy. Let's save it for our opponent." The two turned and saw their third teammate, Bolin step inside their locker room with a girl. "Korra, I'd like you to meet my teammates, Hasook, and my brother, Mako." He gestured towards the two. Korra recognized one of their names and tried to strike up a conversation.

"Mako? I heard you play on the radio." Despite her attempts to be social, Korra was even glanced at as Mako walked past her with Hasook doing the same.

"Come on Bolin, we're up."

"Or, I could meet him later."

"Yeah, sorry about that. My brother just gets real focused before a match, especially after he and Hasook argue." He then completed his ensemble by putting on a helmet "Okay, I gotta go. Wish me luck. Not that I'll need it." Bolin then sprinted to catch up with his teammates.

"Good luck. Knock 'em out!" Korra cheered.

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"Okay, we made it!" The martial artist and the poverty stricken orphan reached the entrance and saw people starting to arrive in boatloads for the matches. He ran up to a security officer at the front, Mei still in tow, and explained himself.

"My name is Sai-Fon and I'm supposed to fight in a special event."

"Yeah, yeah, I know who you are. Back entrance, stairs on the right, third floor. Butakha should be waiting for you."

"Thank you!"

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"Ah there you are!" Butakha impatiently tapped his foot on the floor until he finally saw his star fighter appear from the stair entrance. "I've been waiting for you? And who's this little cutie?" He pointed towards Mei who only hid further behind Sai-Fon.

Seeing as how the answer 'this is some girl I caught pickpocketing me that I caught and made her take me to her boss where I physically assaulted him and his henchmen' would either be met with confusion or terror, he decided to lie.

"Uh, this is my sister, Mei. I told her stay home, but she really wants to see me fight."

"Oh, okay, but what's with her clothes?"

"It case you haven't noticed, no one in my family is that well off."

"True, but...you know, we're wasting time." Butakha let the whole thing drop and clapped his hands twice. "KAMIYA!" No more than five seconds later, a woman appeared with folded clothes and an official pro-bending helmet. "Take Sai-Fon and Mei to the dressing room." he ordered "Sai-Fon I want you to put this on for your match." Sai-Fon nodded in confirmation. "Oh, and Kamiya, get something for Mei as well."

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"Well, here we go."Was all Sai-Fon said to himself as he stood on the rising platform from the bottom floor to the arena, now dressed in the attire Butakha had for him.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" He heard the announcer bellow. "Welcome to a very special main event! Introducing the Fire Ferrets!" He finally reached the top and saw three fighters run up to the starter line as the crowd cheered. "And now, please welcome professional bending's debut class of fighter. The chi-blocker! SAI-FON." Upon announcement, Sai-Fon stepped onto the area floor and continued towards the starter line. His new clothing was far more elegant then he was accustomed to, and it didn't look like anything he'd seen others wear before. He wore a white Earth Kingdom dress shirt with dark blue trim and cuffs. The back of which had a fine stitching of a green dragon with fiery breath and piercing ruby eyes. His pants was the same shade of blue, as were his athletic shoes. Aside from the gold colored helmet, Sai-Fon sported no safety gear the pro-benders wore.

Standing at the center of attention at the pro-bending arena was a far cry from merely sitting in the spectator seats. The only lights on at the moment shined bright onto the field, and the sheer size of everything around him made Sai-Fon feel like an ant inside a cauldron. The entire crowd's eyes were only on him, hundreds and hundreds of eyes.

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Up where the Fire Ferrets held all of their gear, the avatar leaned over the rail and stared at Sai-Fon. She pondered for several seconds on the identity of the new fighter before it hit her like a wall of ice.

'Wait! It's him! It's the guy who got me in trouble!' The astonishment almost instantly turned to joy. 'Oh man, I can't wait for Bolin and his team to knock some sense into him!' .Korra smiled deviosly and was practically trembling in excitement to see the sure beating of the guy who got her arrested. The guy she was trying to help, she might add.

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Two men sat in fine leather seats in a private box high above the stadium.

"A chi-blocker? Quite an interesting fighter you got there, Butakha." One wearing a black top hat and matching suit said to the other.

"What can I say, my scouter said he took out three Triple Threat Triads in two minutes flat, **and **he paralyzed the Avatar!"

"You're a lucky one, Butakha. This guy's gonna fill up stadiums." That only made the league director's grin widen.

"Yep, he might even draw in those non-benders calling for equality. You know, get some public sway in my direction."

"Oh yeah, Equalists I think they call themselves. You aren't worried about him ditching you?"

"Not with what I have in store for him. I'm going to make sure he answers to me, and to me alone."

"He could get pretty expensive." the man warned.

"I didn't say the things the things I have in store for him are going to be..." He struggled to find the right word. "...necessarily **good** for him, you know what I mean?"

"Oh, I see." The other man understood and chose to finally end the conversation. He then pulled out a cigar from his front pocket before lighting it with a quick snap of his fingers.

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"Alright, I'm going to remind all of you of the changes," He turned to the Ferrets. "If one of you gets knocked past two entire zones, you and your team must retreat one zone. If you fall on the field and cannot get up within ten counts, it will count as a knockout." Then to Sai-Fon. "No holds, no grappling, and no weapons. No strikes of any kind to the neck, groin, eyes, or any other part of the body not protected by gear. No chi strikes that cause severe injury, paralysis, or long-term removal of bending. All rules not mentioned are still in play. Ready?" He gestured towards the Ferrets and they all nodded with determination. He gestured towards Sai-Fon. "Ready?" Sai-Fon brought his hands together and bowed. Taking it as a confirmation, the referee signaled the start of the fight. "BEGIN!"

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**My god, I did not think this chapter would ever get done! I really don't have much to say this time, just that I hope every one of you readers enjoyed this chapter, because this took up all of the free time I had this weekend.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well it certainly didn't take long to get back on my computer! While you won't be reading this right after I posted the second chapter, I just want to let you know that reading the reviews really got me out of bed to lay down the groundwork for this chapter. Out of all the notification I get, those are the one that I appreciate the most because they give me a chance to see what you enjoy specifically and even tips to better the story. Don't ever hesitate to give feedback, ideas, suggestions, or even criticisms in reviews. If they're reasonable, I'll really appreciate them. I may have final say over what happens, but it would be awesome if an entire group could turn this project into something even greater than I planned.**

**Now it may be getting boring to see Sai-Fon win all of his fights, but this is a guy who's going to go up against all of the main antagonists as often as Korra, and he can't bend! Sai-Fon will have to be tough to survive later on, but right now his opponents are pretty unprepared for someone like him. Don't worry, his undefeated streak (along with other things) will get broken eventually.**

**IMPORTANT!**** I'll respond to any reviews of interest. I'll send a private message normally, but if my response involves things others should know about, I'll respond publicly on my chapters.**

**Blckwlf4: I have indeed watched Kung Fu Panda 2 and I know exactly what you are talking about. Believe or not, I actually plan on introducing several more original characters, and one of them that can actually make something like for that Sai-Fon. He'll be an inventor based off of a real life scientist. If you want a little sneak peak of the guy, look up Nikola Tesla and it should give you a decent idea of what inspiration I'm drawing from. I mean a guy like that fits perfectly in this time and setting. But I'm not sure the character I created will be up for inventing something used for fighting, he will be pretty pacifistic. Maybe another character will convince him or something.**

**Alright, enough of that, let's move on to what you came here for!**

" " Speech

' ' Thought

_Onomatopoeia _

**Emphasis**

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"Welcome to the-"

_WHAM!_

The stadium echoed with the sound of a foot colliding against a man's cranium, leaving the audience stunned as a collective gasp resonated from the stands. Taking the referee's shout as the official commencement of the fight, Sai-Fon literally wasted no seconds before using a running start to leap and drive his foot directly into the center of Mako's forehead. The attack rocked him and forced his upper body in the same direction as Sai-Fon's foot before his lower body followed. Mako flew past an entire zone, briefly tumbling before coming to a stop, lying flat on his stomach.

Everything was silent for just a moment, and it felt to Sai-Fon that time had stopped. The audience, the announcer that was interrupted, Butakha and his acquaintance, the referee, Korra, Mako's teammates, and Mako himself were in complete silence as each felt different emotions from awe, to fear, to just plain surprise. What eventually broke the silence was the ring around the third zone emitting red light and a buzzing sound, indicating that Mako had sent his whole team into the final zone. Finally, time seem to resume. The audience cheered deafeningly, Butakha and his acquaintance lit up like comets, Mako's teammates sprinted to his side, and Mako pushed himself up and let the referee know he was still able to continue.

"Oh, my goodness! Not even a second into to his first fight, chi-blocker Sai-Fon sends Fire Ferret Mako well into the third zone with a nearly unseen kick! What a first impression! The audience is electrified!" The announcer rocketed up from his seat with excitement. The noise from the crowd was still abundant after he spoke, completely taken aback by such a display but now fully embracing this new blood's ability.

"Mako, are you okay?" Bolin reached Mako's side, worried that a strike like that would give a concussion. He tried to put his hand on Mako's shoulder, but it was shaken off.

"I'm fine!" the firebender growled through gritted teeth. "Just don't underestimate him!"

Bolin was still worried about his brother's condition, but he still knew that they a fight to win. He nodded and prepared himself for another onslaught, as did Hasook.

Meanwhile, Sai-Fon advanced to the second zone and returned to his idiosyncratic form shortly after. His eyes were locked on Mako's. The casual observer would see a clear look of determination, but Sai-Fon saw through that. He saw fury, embarrassment, and although well hidden, he did see fear in the eyes of the firebender. That hidden emotion ended all of Sai-Fon's concerns before and during the match. The leader of the pack was cowering to the lone wolf, and that was all Sai-Fon required.

Sai-Fon chose not to repeat his charging kick, the element of surprise now gone. Instead he waited until one of his opponents made a move, and that came in the form of a water whip from Hasook. While the move was simple in concept, Hasook put forth enough energy to have the whip extend well past where Sai-Fon's head would have been had he not ducked. He used the window left by Hasook to sprint towards him, swatting away multiple earth discs and ducking under fire balls as he went.

"Chi-blocker Sai-Fon barrels down towards Fire Ferret Hasook and-Oh! He swats away the discs thrown by Fire Ferret Bolin like pesky flies while Fire Ferret Mako's fireballs don't even touch him!" Hasook attempted to defend himself, but he knew he was too slow when he felt a punch to his chest that caused him to bend over and expel all the air from his lungs and pushed him up off his heels. Sai-Fon followed up with a spinning back fist that crossed over Hasook's face. The now bruised and swelling cheek of the waterbender met the court soon after. Hasook lied there for a couple of seconds before placing his hands firmly on the court and glancing upwards only to see the bottom of a shoe, then total blackness shortly after.

"OOH! I think that, wait a minute...yes the referee has halted the match and...yes! Fire Ferret Hasook has been rendered unconscious by that last stomp! It's all over for him! Knockout!" The cheering that had previously died down was now resurrected. The pro-bending officials carried Hasook off the field, passing his stunned teammates. Bolin displayed clear shock and fear while his brother hid it away behind a fierce glare, but Sai-Fon knew enough. The referee restarted the fight with a quick whistle blow and the two steeled themselves as best as they could.

Hesitant was probably the last word to describe Sai-Fon when it came to fighting. As soon as he figured out that Bolin was closest, the bowl-cut fighter selected him up as his next target. Instead of directly charging, Sai-Fon used his available space to circle around the field, vaulting over and under more projectiles. He stopped when Mako was directly behind Bolin from his perspective so he could attack without worrying about retaliation from the firebender. He quickly dashed inside Bolin's punching range instead of waiting for a strike to counter. Sai-Fon put his hands in front of his own chest and tucked his elbows in before unleashing a flurry of punches, one after the other, striking Bolin's own chest like pistons. After only a few seconds, Bolin had most likely been hit twenty times and his chest felt ready to cave in. As his finisher, Sai-Fon pulled back his right arm and delivered a straight punch square to Bolin's jaw, sending him to the ground.

"What an incredible combination! The referee has halted the fight once more, he's counting. Fire Ferret Bolin is rising...four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! Fire Ferret Bolin tried, but he couldn't get to his feet in time! Knockout!"

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Korra was dumbfounded, completely speechless. She still hadn't recovered from the shock of Mako's quick knock down at the start of the fight, but it had been what? One minute? Perhaps two, including the referee stops, and two benders had been knocked out. How can I guy like this, I guy who **can't bend**, take down professional benders so quickly? This Sai-Fon was difficult to follow as a spectator, let alone as an opponent. His speed was baffling, his attacks were almost blurs. Even her elite trainers didn't hold a candle to what she had seen. All he was using was his fists and feet. Had he even blocked anyone's chi, or was all of that really just sheer brute force? How does a man send another flying thirty feet with one kick?

Korra thought back to the scuffle with the him and the triads. She remembered turning a corner and seeing three men harassing a shop owner and destroying his merchandise. The waterbender ran to knock some sense into the three when they bumped into someone else. She was so close to reaching them but had to stop when the man struck down the thug holding him, and then sent another into a lamp post. Korra felt rather embarrassed that she truly thought someone that could take down three bending gang members wouldn't be able to handle three benders under strict rules.

The water tribe girl felt pity towards Bolin. He was kind enough to bail her out when she was exploring the arena without permission. She'd imagine he would use this victory to try and impress her, his advances being fairly obvious, but a defeat that fast probably destroyed his ego. She considered leaving to spare Bolin the further humiliation of talking to her after that, but she wasn't sure if he might have wanted a sympathetic ear. His teammates didn't seem like jovial people before the fight, and she was certain they would take their anger out on each other. From what she had seen, Bolin didn't deserve that.

'Maybe I'm just being pessimistic. The team has a chance to turn things around.' Korra was brought out her thoughts when she heard a loud buzz.

"And that's round one! Victory going to chi-blocker Sai-Fon! Fire Ferret Mako did a superb job of staying in with his trademark 'calm under pressure' technique, but he couldn't gain any zones alone. Not with Sai-Fon pressuring him like that! Oh, just a moment...I've received news that Fire Ferret Hasook is unable to continue the match! Leaving only the bending brothers, Mako and Bolin."

That announcement only disheartened her further, turning the thought of leaving into a truly serious consideration.

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"Round two is underway! Mako and Bolin are the first to act. They are now the only one's left, but they've learned their lesson. They are not letting up their onslaught and giving Sai-Fon a second to counter. But it looks like Sai-Fon is showing off his acrobatic skills. He is dodging and weaving the attacks like a professional."

Sai-Fon was now on the defense as he avoided the streams of fire and speeding rocks. Simply deflecting them with his hands and feet was becoming more difficult as the brothers were putting all their strength into their attacks, forcing him to resort to ducks, flips, and the occasionally twist. The pressure was on as Sai-Fon found himself taking several steps back until he his back foot bordered the end of the first zone The chi-blocker's face held no signs panic or distraught, though. After a solid minute and a half of the impressive barrage by the two, fatigue was starting to catch up with them. The fire and earth enhanced strikes were becoming less frequent with less force. Sai-Fon was quick to realize this, and charged the moment he saw the opening in Bolin. Bolin saw this and pulled back his fist to launch yet another disc but Sai-Fon was quick to display his superior speed. Just as Bolin released his arm, Sai-Fon used his own to reach inside Bolin's range and swat away the punch. As a result, the disc flew well past Sai-Fon, angled too far to reach him. Sai-Fon then shifted his weight and drove both his fists once more into his chest. The attack knocked him off his feet and laid him flat on his back.

"Oh! Another devastating attack to Bolin! He's been downed once more and I don't think he'll be getting back up. The referee has been called...knockout!"

"It's all up to Mako to get the win for this round. He's utilizing his iconic technique once more, but Sai-Fon seems to be doing the same."

The two were trading blows in Sai-Fon's striking range. Mako seemed to try and punch and kick straight through Sai-Fon, but he was blocking and deflecting them away with relative ease. Fire was passing right next to the non-bender, licking the sides of his head and clothes, but he was still fearless in his pursuit of victory. His attacks had already pushed Mako from the edge of Sai-Fon's first zone to Mako's own.

Sai-Fon could see the sweat drip down Mako's face behind the helmet as they continued their fierce combinations. His eyebrows were furrowed and his gritted teeth were showing, and the swell from the first attack was still evident. Sai-Fon was fairing much better with only a thin layer of sweat and a small bruise on his left cheek from a well-timed counter from Mako.

All he needed was one more opening, just one more. He saw it. One sloppy, ill-timed front kick to try and get some distance between the two. The non-bender side stepped the attack and side kicked the leg still planted on the ground. He lost balance and tumbled backwards, into the second zone. He was quick to return to his feet but was sent back down just as fast after being hit with a double palm strike. He stumbled several feet and another kick to his gut drove him back into the third zone. He rose to his feet again but felt a fist drive into his stomach and almost wanted to vomit. The fist retracted as quickly as it collided. Mako slowly took two more steps backwards as he tried to recuperate from the sudden and devastating barrage. His vision was blurring and darkness threatened to overtake him. His knees were shaking, his ribs felt like they would just collapse inside of him, and even as he attempted to collect his thoughts his eyes started to see nothing but indistinct blurs. He saw one of the blurs move.

"HAAAI!"

A powerful and swift back kick was the final attack and it sent Mako over the edge of the ring, into the cold waters of the stadium.

"Oh, and that is it! Sai-Fon has knocked Mako off the field. That's it! Chi-blocker Sai-Fon is victorious! What a performance! Three benders defeated in under five minutes! I've never seen a greater debut in all my years of announcing!"

Sai-Fon exhaled a sigh of relief and allowed his shoulders to relax. He drank in the positive atmosphere and let the undying cheers of the audience enter his mind. He stood in silence for several moments and then turned on his heel towards the lift.

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Bolin said nothing as he tread up the stairs towards the locker room, supporting a limping and barely recovered Hasook, both heavily bandaged. He could feel the piercing eyes of his brother below him. Perhaps the one thing he dreaded more than his sibling's fury was having to talk to Korra once he reached the locker room. Things had gone completely opposite of what he planned.

'Ah, man. What am I going to say?' he wondered. He finally reached the top and saw...nobody. It looked like Korra had blown him off. Bolin hung his head further and set Hasook down on a bench before sitting right next to him.

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"Hah, hah! Good show boy, good show." Butakha slung his arm around Sai-Fon as soon as he entered the green room. Mei followed short and eagerly hugged his leg. "Well I can tell someone misses you." the director said as he gazed down. "Tell you what, there are still somethings I must tend you, so I'll leave you two alone. I'll return with your winnings." He left without waiting for a response..

The martial artist knelt down and fully embraced the little girl. He looked and saw Mei was in much finer clothing of a light green dress with golden trim, and her face and hair were much cleaner and pleasantly smelled of soap.

"How are you feeling? Did you eat?" For the first time, the bowl cut fighter saw the tiny girl smile.

"Yes, I feel much better, sir!" She nodded with enthusiasm befitting of her age, but the end made Sai-Fon chuckle slightly.

"You don't have to call me sir. You can just call me Sai-Fon." She nodded once more and seemed to have something on her mind.

"Um, Sai-Fon, what's going to happen now?"

The older adolescent put a finger to his chin."Hmm...well right now I'll be meeting with my friends, Hayao and Risa. We're going to talk about what we're going to do with money...and then tomorrow..." Sai-Fon pondered his next few words. He knew he should hand Mei over to the police to get her back into the orphanage, but several thoughts had crossed his mind since they had met. Her bright smile was far more suiting than the shy and scared expression she must have carried for years. Truthfully, he didn't want to leave her alone. Even if it was for her own good, he didn't want Mei to think she had been abandoned once more.

He thought back to his time in the orphanage. It wasn't hellish by any means, and he wasn't all that lonely with the company of his two best friends. But Mei was a different story. He didn't think she had anyone, and if there was one thing that held him together as a child, it was the interactions with people he could call friends. He then thought of the despicable men that forced her and the other children to steal for them. They were beaten to a pulp, but not to death. If they ever ran into her again without him there to protect her, his efforts would be for nothing, and perhaps even worsen her situation.

Then there was the money he had just earned. Just last week, the idea of supporting another human with the wages he and his companions were paid was ludicrous. But with over a thousand yuan and more along the way...

Sai-Fon found enough reason to finish his sentence. It wasn't fully thought out, but the fighter made his decision, working out the consequences later on. "...and then tomorrow we'll both go to the markets for things we'll both need for our new home."

"You mean-?" he nodded with a grin.

"You're welcome to stay with me and my friends for as long as you want." Tears had already begun to escape from her eyes and the hug she gave him put the others to shame. Sai-Fon gleefully returned the hug and lifted her up, allowing her to bury her head in his shoulder. He kept her suspended until the door opened again and he set her back down. Butakha entered, now holding a large stack of bills.

"Here you go, boy! 1,500 yuan total! And I presume we can schedule another appearance two weeks from now?"

"Absolutely." Sai-Fon felt Mei retreat behind him.

"Of course." He pulled out his pocket watch and paused for a moment. "Well, it's getting late and I'm sure the two of you should be off to bed very soon. I'm sure you can show yourselves out. Good night." he said. He tipped his hat and Sai-Fon bowed his head.

"Good night; and thank you." He didn't get a response as Butakha was halfway out the door when he spoke. He stared at the door longer than socially acceptable before moving his sight to Mei. He stood and remained silent, so many thoughts clouded his mind.

'What an eventful day.' was his only coherent thought at the moment.

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**A little shorter than normal, but I think it was a good stopping point. That was easily the longest fight scene I have ever written! I think the next chapter will involve no fighting, but I'm still debating on whether or not to further the story or give a flashback chapter, because I feel like Hayao and Risa haven't been given a decent amount of time so far to show any real character. Let me know which you would like to see in reviews, because I could really work with either.**

**I'm really sorry about updating so slowly, but not only do I really have to take time to make this as well written as I possibly can, there is always a slew of things I always have to address first. This really goes double now as I'm starting numerous studies and projects separate from my normal classes.**


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